Saugus High won its first Southern Section Div. I playoff baseball game in eight years Friday, defeating visiting Oxnard 10-2 in the opening round.

“We’re going to enjoy this one,” Saugus coach John Maggiora said. “It’s nice being back in the sweet 16, but tomorrow we’ll meet together, and then it’s back to work. We’re a grind-it-out team.”

Justin Donatella (9-2) has done most of the pitching for Saugus (17-10-1) in key situations this year, and the right-hander came through again, limiting Oxnard (19-8) to two runs on six hits while striking out four in six innings.

“I thought Justin probably didn’t have his best stuff, but it was a gritty performance,” Maggiora said.

Saugus played errorless defense, and after failing to score more than three runs in each of the past five games, the Centurions’ bats came alive.

Saugus knocked around three pitchers for a total of 10 hits, five for extra bases. Chris Devery went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, including a fifth-inning home run, his second of the season.

Devery’s blast put Saugus ahead 3-2, and the Centurions followed with a seven-run outburst in the sixth to break it open.

“The guy was throwing a lot of offspeed pitches, and I was kind of battling with two strikes, and I got a fastball and wound up driving it out of the park,” Devery said. “We’ll take it any way we can get it.”

Saugus plays Tuesday against the Edison-J.W. North winner.

Oxnard left-hander Oscar Sandoval had given up just one earned run until Devery’s home run, but that was his 101st pitch, and an inning later Sandoval (4-3) was pulled in favor of Matt Contreras.

“In high school baseball, 100 pitches is a lot of pitches,” Maggiora said.

Oxnard, the Pacific View League co-champion, had given up a total of eight runs over the previous six games.

“I think the game turned on the home run. That kind of broke our back,” Oxnard coach Alfred Tarazon said.

Saugus’ Spencer Daniels chipped in two hits, including a triple, and two RBIs, and Andru Cardenas added a two-run double and got aboard twice on infield errors.

“We’re just going to keep playing our game and doing what we do,” Devery said. “I love Justin pitching, and I love all our pitchers because they always keep throwing strikes.”